Sir Elton John has attacked what he describes as “distorted and malicious” accounts of Harry and Meghan’s private stay at his home in Nice.

The singer posted a series of tweets after newspaper reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had taken four trips by private jets in 11 days.

He said: “I am deeply distressed by today’s distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private stay at my home in Nice last week.

“Prince Harry’s Mother, Diana Princess Of Wales was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death.

“After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquility of our home. To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight.

“To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint.

“I highly respect and applaud both Harry and Meghan’s commitment to charity and I’m calling on the press to cease these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character that are spuriously crafted on an almost daily basis.”

Meghan, 38, and Harry, 34, were criticised for using private jets for travel after speaking about environmental issues such as climate change.

The Sun reported that the couple had used a 12-seater Cessna plane for a trip to Nice, which it said would have cost more than £20,000 to hire.

The plane would have generated seven times the emissions per person when compared to a commercial flight.